Every now and then I really crave something casserole like with lots of gooey cheese and a crust on top. Could be lasagne, or the old recipe my father used for baked macaroni and cheese. That recipe involved macaroni, sharp cheddar, butter, condensed milk or cream, and that it be topped with shredded cheddar cheese, Italian bred crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese in layers. When baked, the crust was toasted to a crunchy brown, with flavors that revealed themselves as one ate. Everyone preferred the crust to the rest of the dish, and would soon visit the leftovers to pick at the crust. I still need to figure out how to make the crust without the rest, but it seems impossible. Texture and flavor seem very important, as does aroma, but then I'm a peasant that considers sliced dry Italian salami and mini-pretzel sandwiches a meal. I mean really, those tidbits have several food qualities covered: fat and cholesterol, salt, carbs, calories and crunch.
